Small LED grow lights cover roughly anything under 300W – the fixtures that suit a 60 x 60cm or 80 x 80cm tent, a propagation space, a mother plant, or a single plant on a windowsill setup.
Efficacy (µmol/J). This is the honest measure – how much usable light you get per watt of electricity. A good modern fixture is around 2.5-2.8. Anything advertising a huge "equivalent" wattage without publishing efficacy is telling you nothing.
Coverage, not just output. A powerful light with a narrow footprint leaves the corners dark. In a small tent, even spread matters more than peak intensity.
Dimming. Seedlings and cuttings want a fraction of flowering intensity. A dimmable fixture covers the whole cycle; a fixed one will burn young plants.
Heat and driver position. In a small tent, a remote or well-heatsinked driver makes a real difference to how hard your extraction has to work.
Ignore "equivalent to" claims
A 100W LED marketed as "1000W equivalent" draws 100W and produces roughly what 100W of good LED produces. Buy on actual draw and efficacy. If the listing will not tell you the real wattage, that is the answer.
We are a hydroponics shop in Croydon and we will quote you real wattage and real coverage. Tell us your tent size and we will match it. Discreet UK and European delivery, and excellent customer reviews on Trustpilot.